Single of the Week: “Berlin” by The Hurt

The Hurt are an electronica, post-punk, white noise and experimental band from Manchester, whose captivating and sombre sounds are drenched in alchemistic muses and phantom melancholy. With ex Paris Angels Rikki Turner on vocals, Keith Higgins on bass, ex Paris Angels Paul Wags on guitar , Jack Scraggs on drums, Paul Green on synth and Gigi Serafini on backing vocals, The Hurt are an amazing band whose distinctive sound is both progressive and impeccably produced. Think Joy Division meets Nick Cave meets Gang of Four in a dark alley, then you get a brief idea of what they are about. As a front man, Turner is a real asset, whose rich baritone vocals and enigmatic stage presence intrigues and draws you in to its compelling complexity.

Having been busy in the studio, working on new material, The Hurt will be releasing their first single, “Berlin”, on Sunday 14th February, which is available via limited edition purple Cassette (50 copies) and Digital download, which can be purchased via “Play & Record Records” and whose B-Side “The Dead” has been remixed by Suddi Raval, (previously a member of the electronic band “Together”). As an introduction to their music, both “Berlin” and the B-side “The Dead”, including the remix of “The Dead”, has been selected as my “Single of The Week”.

Berlin

With its beeping, shuddering and menacing synths, “Berlin” glides swiftly into its a dance-post-punk arena. Through its singular beats, jagged riffs and swirling ambience, “Berlin” roams from dawn to dusk, through the pale stars and shadowy murmurs, flickering amongst the slanting beams of a new horizon. It’s hauntingly beautiful, whose McCulloch-esque vocals, croon with composed intensity and disarming decadence. Along with the backing vocals and brooding bass, Berlin, wavers its aching wings, through the eerie mist. It’s a sensual pilgrimage into the twilight zone, a cinematic invite to a goth-stricken haven.

The Dead

With its growling synths and incisive drones, “The Dead” slithers with a formidable force, smouldering from the ashes, whilst cooled from the dry-ice fog. It’s a mesmerising song, which sees Turner’s velvet tones resonate in juxtaposition against the wailing banshee-esque female vocals. Along with the speckled and jangly synths, “The Dead” tilts towards the macabre, processing its immortal soul amongst the throbbing beats and spectral surges.